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5 Things I’ve Been Loving Lately

July 7th, 2023 by Karen 8 Comments

Simple pleasures 🙂

1. My new bench!

I’ve been looking for a bench like this for the grassy part of my front lawn for years. YEARS! I wanted something sturdy and relatively easy to move (it’s made out of cast iron), and something with slats so that the sun could still get through to hit the grass below.

It’s really nice to have a comfy place to sit while I watch Connor and her friends play in our yard, and now I go out there all the time to read or have a coffee or a snack. I love it!

My new fave place to hang out

This bench was from the Ace Hardware in my town; it’s also available online, if you’re interested.

2. Eating outside

I don’t know if it’s something linked to the primitive part of my brain, but lately, whenever I eat a meal outside and I can see the sky, it just feels so right! I was just actually outside a few minutes ago before writing this eating peanut butter on toast and drinking a vanilla coffee on my bench (see top pic), LOL!

3. The “Wham!” documentary on Netflix

I’ve always loved the band Wham! since I was kid; I remember going to the library back in the day and checking out the album on vinyl (!) for “Music from the Edge of Heaven,” and listening to it nonstop. Side note — does anybody else think “Battlestations” is hugely underrated? It’s one of my favorites.

Anywho, I’ve coincidentally have been listening to a lot of music by Wham! and George Michael lately, and wouldn’t you know it, there’s now a documentary about the band on Netflix.

I started watching it last night and am about 30 minutes in and am really enjoying it. Give it a go if you’ve got Netflix!

4. Finding new music on Spotify

No joke, all I did last summer was listen to Fleetwood Mac on 24/7. Not that there’s anything wrong with that (Stevie Nicks forever), but I’m really trying to expand my musical world this summer. I’ve have been finding a lot of great songs on Spotify. Here’s a few new-to-me songs that I found this week.


“Jenny” by Jack Lizard featuring BXRBER


“SUPERBLOOM” by MisterWives


“Say What” by Goosetaf


“Going Up the Coast” by Clay and Friends

5. Writing down my goals every morning

I saw a video recently that talked about how, if you have goals, writing them down every morning can be very helpful in achieving them. So, I’ve been doing that lately. So far it’s been really helpful!

One of my goals: hit 10,000 steps a day

Oh, I also like to add a date to my list because having a time frame (or a deadline) makes my goals seem more concrete and urgent.

What’ve you been loving lately?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

5 Things I’ve Been Loving Lately / Originally published July 7th, 2023

There are 8 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Just For Fun

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Comments

  1. Tatiana says

    July 7th, 2023 at 1:22 pm

    If that bench is made of cast iron it must weigh a ton! No? I think it’s reasonably priced and I like it. I never thought of looking at Ace for outdoor furniture. We need something for the backyard. One of the local stores is going out of business and they’re having a floor clearance sale. But even on sale each outdoor chair is almost $1,500. I asked because I thought that price was for all six chairs around the table. So if wanted to get 4 to 6 chairs and the table. Gasp! Such is the area I live in, where everyone is trying to do a money grab.

    Reply
    • Karen says

      July 7th, 2023 at 3:21 pm

      I’m honestly not sure if it’s cast iron. It says that on the website but I could’ve sworn the tag said that it was made out of steel. So I dunno! I do know that it has some weight but it’s not super heavy.

      Reply
      • Tatiana says

        July 7th, 2023 at 3:47 pm

        Maybe it’s powder coated steel. Either way it’s a pretty bench and I’m happy for you that you found one that you really like. It is nice to sit outside with a beverage and a book. Plus you get to watch Connor and her friends play.

        Reply
        • Karen says

          July 7th, 2023 at 3:52 pm

          Yeah, I think that’s probably it. I normally take a really long time to think about furniture and will often waffle back and forth a few times, but when I saw this one, I knew immediately that it was coming home with me, LOL! I would like to buy some cute outdoor pillows to add a *pop* of color.

          We bought it preassembled, but it sounds like if you buy it online you have to put it together.

          Do you have an Ace nearby? They might have it in stock!

          Reply
  2. Cindy says

    July 7th, 2023 at 4:36 pm

    OMG the Wham! documentary! It was SO GOOD! Junior HS memories. . . I need to watch it again. . .

    Reply
    • Karen says

      July 7th, 2023 at 4:55 pm

      So good! I finally finished it today. It was really insightful! I have a new appreciation for George’s writing skills and Andrew just being an awesome friend.

      Reply
  3. CL says

    July 8th, 2023 at 8:25 pm

    In my area, it’s so hot (or raining/hailing) from May to October that most people don’t eat outdoors much at all. I always say there’s only about 3 “perfect” days a year – days when it’s in the low 70s, the humidity is low, and the wind isn’t blowing at least 15 mph. Those days are usually in April and November. Then there’s also the screeching cicadas (those bugs are INCREDIBLY loud) every single year, from early June to late September. And the traffic noise. I really want to move to an area without 6 lanes of nearby traffic.

    Reply
  4. Kim says

    July 10th, 2023 at 11:15 am

    Congrats on the bench! I’m glad you’ve had some nice dining al fresco moments! In our area, that means contending with a lot of biting insects, unfortunately. I’m also happy for you that you get to make a new list every day. That’s probably just as fun as reaching your goals. 🙂

    Reply

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